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Stern Combo Meissen - 1977 - Stern Combo Meissen

October 31, 2017, 8:19 am
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Stern Combo Meissen
1977 
Stern Combo Meissen



01. Der Kampf Um Den Südpol
02. Der Alte Auf Der Müllkippe
03. Mütter Gehn Fort Ohne Laut
04. Eine Nacht Auf Dem Kahlen Berge
05. Licht In Das Dunkel

Recorded live: 20/21-May-1977, Nünchritz/Riesa.

- Martin Schreier / drums, leader
- Reinhard Fißler / lead vocals (1, 3 - 5)
- Norbert Jäger / percussion, keyboards, vocals, lead vocals (2)
- Lothar Kramer / keyboards
- Thomas Kurzhals / keyboards
- Bernd Fiedler / bass


DDR rock band from Meißen/Saxony. They started as beat in the mid 1960's, absorbing western influences alongside developing their own style. As Stern Combo Meissen they reinvented themselves as the foremost progressive rock outfit from the German Democtratic Republic in the mid 1970's onto the early 1980's. 

 Stern Combo meissen's first LP is a gem of an LP in a field - East German Prog - not exactly bursting at the seams with masterpieces (unlike Italian Prog). But this great debut is worth checking out, blending Hawkwind-lie space-rock with prog dynamics. On "Der Kampf um den Sudpol" the first side opens with atmospheric wind effects until an icy Rick Wright-type organs starts snaking out of the ether in a sublime Eastern modality, while synths fizzle and fart in the background, oscillating their way into the stratosphere. SCM sing in German, which also sets them apart from a lot of german bands (Eloy, Jane), but I think in the end this is better as the German vocal inflection often struggles around English language lyrics (see Grobschnitt's "RockPommels Land"). Stern Combo Meissen's LP's suffer from a bad vinyl pressing like many Eastern European rock LP's but the energy of their arrangements overcomes this one minor quibble. "Eine nacht auf dem Kahlen Berge" opens Side Two with some great keyboard work - its the keyboards that really shine on this LP as the six-man line-up boasts three keyboardists!! Thomas Kurzhals moog work is first rate, reminding me of the style of SBB from Poland. LP closer "Licht in das Dunkel" finishes in style with a great extended Yes-like dynamic, lots of moog-riffs and great swathes of string backing on organ and string-synth (although the sleeves dont' discern - it sounds like SCM use Solina string synths rather than Mellotron's giving them a Tangerine Dream like texture). Overall, a charming little addition to the German Prog collection - a band with a very varied sound taking in influences from Wish You Were Here-era Floyd, ELP, Hawkwind and Yes. A great mix of space-rock and prog and a keyboard players dream.

In 1977 it was time for the first official release of Stern Combo Meissen.Their classic track ''Der Kampf um den Südpol'', already presented live by the group, started hitting the charts and remains actually a hit until today.Surprisingly the official debut of the band was another live recording, carrying the band's name as a title and released on Amiga in 1977.
Not the average keyboard-driven band,Stern Combo Meissen mix in their debut lots of different styles,remaining a band with a wide sound spectrum as in their early years.''Der Kampf um den Südpol'' sounds sort of psychedelic rock with nice organ and is led by the vocals of Reinhard Fißler,while on ''Der Alte auf der Müllkippe'' the funky rhythm section blends with the spacey moog synths of the keyboard duo.''Mütter gehn fort ohne Laut'' is the first track where the band shows of their symphonic tendencies with mellow classical-influenced synths and organs leading the way.''Eine Nacht af dem Kahlen Berge'' is nothing else than Stern Combo Meissen's adaption on the classic Mussorgsky piece ''Night on the Bald Mountain''.A 13 minute track,where the band capture all of the classic piece's dramatic atmosphere through the fiery organ and the closing section full of moog sounds and deep bass lines.''Licht das Dunkel'' closes the album in a rather soft way with hypnotic bass lines around moog solos and dreamy vocals,while its ending sounds like a familiar complex ELP jam.

Stern Combo Meissen were among the daring bands in DDR (East Germany) to produce some highly sophisticated music.Their debut is a nice delivery of classical-influenced prog rock and deserves a wider recognition!
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Stern Combo Meissen - 1978 - Weisses Gold

October 31, 2017, 8:23 am
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Stern Combo Meissen 
1978 
Weisses Gold


01. Ouvertüre
02. Der Traum
03. Des Goldes Bann
04. Der Goldmacher
05. Die Flucht
06. Zweifel
07. Die Erkenntnis
08. Weisses Gold

Album concept based on: Johann Friedrich Böttger 1682-1719, alchemist and inventor, the creator of "white gold" circa 1709, the first white hard porcelain in Europe.

- Martin Schreier / leader
- Reinhard Fißler / lead vocals
- Norbert Jäger / percussion, vocals
- Lothar Kramer / keyboards, vocals
- Thomas Kurzhals / keyboards
- Werther Lohse / drums, vocals
- Bernd Fiedler / bass

Guests:
- Ernst Kahler / narration
- Sinfonieorchester der Hochscule für Musik ''Hanns Eisler' Berlin, leader - Horst Föster
- Chor des Wachregiments ''Feliks Dzierzynski'' Berlin


In June 1978 comes the first true studio recording of Stern Meissen and the second of their original releases overall.The band had recruited Lift's drummer Werther Lohse and completed a seven-piece line-up that led them to the ambitious ''Weisses gold'' album on Amiga.''Weisses gold'' refers to porcelain and this concept work deals with the timeline for discovering it in Dresden by German alchemist Johann Friedrich Boettger.The band was helped by the Symphonic Orchestra of ''Hochschule Für Musik Hanns Eisler" in Berlin and its conductor Horst Foerster.
Gone are all the psychedelic leftovers of Stern Meissen's previous recordings and the band headed now for a monster symphonic sound full of grandiose interludes, elaborate orchestrations and complex segments.''Weisses gold'' sounds much like a RICK WAKEMAN album, maybe crossed with a discreet Teutonic aura akin to NEUSHWANSTEIN, and appears to be a cohesive, flowing concept with extended instrumental themes, a slightly operatic mood and the typical German vocals displayed in Stern Meissen's works.The tracks are mainly keyboard-driven with full equipment (piano, harsichord, Hammond organ, synthesizers and propably string synth), supported by the ethereal orchestrations of the symphonic orchestra, the result is very good and at moments fascinating Progressive Rock with twin and triple keyboard workouts, creating grandiose climates and bombastic passages.German actor Ernst Kahler is the man behind the narrations, strongly connected with the history presented.As Stern Meissen were always a band with a nice sense of atmosphere and melody, the greatest part of the arrangements are characterized by dreamy textures and cinematic soundscapes, but be sure to handle the extremely virtuosic synth flashes during the process next to some E.L.P.-like fanfares on Hammond organ.

Very good story-telling album with dense, technically efficient and carefully composed keyboard themes.Fans of TRIUMVIRAT, E.L.P., LE ORME, RICK WAKEMAN and the likes will finds this work simply beautiful.Strongly recommended.

A goody for lush symphonic rock fans! SCM is one of the better symphonic prog bands from Germany. "Weisses Gold" is their pinnacle recorded with a choir and an orchestra. A concept album about the accidental discovery of white china is filled with delightful symphonic compositions and tasty keyboard work. Their style is similar to SFF (another good German band) with added vocals. Sometimes the arrangements get very complex with interesting harmony. They're very different from bands like TRIUMVIRAT that try too hard to copy English prog. BTW I like those bands but I don't find them so original. SCM blend classical influence with krautrock in a unique and sophisticated way. "Weisses Gold" is a classic!
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Stern Combo Meissen - 1979 - Der weite Weg

October 31, 2017, 8:33 am
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Stern Combo Meissen 
1979
Der weite Weg



01. Die Sage7:50
02. Gib Mir, Was Du Geben Kannst5:30
03. Was Bleibt4:47
04. Der Motor4:40
05. Der Frühling (Aus Dem Concerto Op. 8 "Die Vier Jahreszeiten")12:20
06. Der Weite Weg6:25

- Martin Schreier / leader
- Thomas Kurzhals / keyboards
- Norbert Jäger / percussion, vocals (4, 6)
- Reinhard Fißler / vocals (2, 6)
- Lothar Kramer / keyboards
- Werther Lohse / drums, vocals (1, 3)
- Bernd Fiedler / bass
- Michael Behm / drums, vocals


In my opinion excellent album. The title track, "Der weite Weg" is my favourite Stern Combo Meissen song. I heard it for the first time in 1982 and even now, 35 years after, when I listen to it - I'm not here, I'm far away in the sea (what is it - nostalgia or real quality of music?). "Der Frühling", the band's interpretation of Vivaldi's "The Spring" is a good example of delicate attitude to classical music. All other tracks are also worth to listen, only "Der Motor", a typical pop-rock song of that era, is weaker than other material. If you like melodic progressive with dual keyboards and nice soft vocals, this album is for you. I guess fans of Novalis will enjoy this album. But this band is not a Novalis clone - Stern Combo Meissen, at least in the 70s, had their own sound. Check "Der weite Weg" if you'll find it (it's not so easy outside former DDR).
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Stern Combo Meissen - 1980 - Reise zum Mittelpunkt des Menschen

October 31, 2017, 8:37 am
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Stern Combo Meissen 
1980
Reise zum Mittelpunkt des Menschen



01. Allein3:42
02. Hinwendung13:28
03. Romanze8:42
04. Innenwelt6:50
05. Menschenzeit6:03

- Martin Schreier / leader
- Thomas Kurzhals / keyboards
- Reinhard Fißler / lead vocals
- Lothar Kramer / keyboards
- Peter Rasym / bass
- Michael Behm / drums


Apparently Stern (Combo) Meissen were on stage in the mid- to end-seventies an absolute legend in the GDR but had to struggle with censorship, so their published regular albums mostly didn't do them much justice, and after the "Reise" they turned their backs on prog and morphed into an at times hardly endurable pop group.
"Reise zum Mittelpunkt des Menschen" is quite an exception to this. It's a very fine album, although it came in 1980 too late - too late for what is considered to be the best time of the band, but also even in their own country the tides of music changed and the audience wanted more direct and less complex music - unfortunately it got far more of the latter than the former.

The music on "Reise zum Mittelpunkt des Menschen" is very keyboard-oriented. There's only keyboards (two keyboarders), bass, drums and vocals. The vocals are only there for a few minutes, but these few minutes demonstrate very well the quality of the vocalist, Reinhard Fissler, and his very characteristic expressive voice. Fissler adds some warmth to the overall rather cool musical landscape on this album. The instrumental performances are very strong. Of course the keyboard work plays the key role. The Stern are obviously fans of ELP, their sound is unsurprisingly somewhat behind the "western time", and one can criticise the GDR-icon Thomas Kurzhals and Wolfgang Kramer for using a bit too much of that influence. Another reference is the West German symphonic band SFF. That said, not only are the keyboards virtuous and technically flawless, they are also somewhat less showy than Emerson's (if somewhat less wild and unpredictable). One way in which the "Reise" has an edge over all ELP work (except perhaps "Pictures at an Exhibition") is that it is very organic; it's a concept album in which all the compositions serve the overall musical message. The composition work is clearly classically influenced. There's some dynamic in terms of speed and intensity on this album, some parts are very calm and melodic, others more powerful, but overall the sound is quite homogeneous. This is in contrast to all other works of the Stern, in which there are always some attempts at different styles, at times welcome but more often than not rather on the annoying side for a prog fan. The "Reise" though is pure prog. Overall, the compositions are a good tasteful mix of complexity and musicality and very well done, if a bit on the cool intellectual side (as easily happens with lots of keyboard and no guitar).

The drummer Michael Behm and the bass player Peter Rasym also deserve to be mentioned. Behm is virtuous and precise, but the secret star of the show is Rasym; the bass on this album is not only flawless but very creative and colourful, and at the same time fits seamlessly into the overall teamwork. Surely a five star performance by this internationally probably totally unknown bassist.

Despite the ELP references, this album stands easily on its own as a highlight of GDR art rock which has its very own atmosphere and characteristic; actually it is the strongest GDR prog album that I know by some distance; unfortunately the Stern themselves never came close before or after (I don't know their 1996 released 1976 live album, which may be a contender).

"Reise Zum Mittelpunkt Des Menschen" is one of the two SCM's concept albums (the other one is "Weisses Gold"). The music on both albums has a countinuous flow supported by leitmotivs. The longest track "Hinwendung" shows a lot of ELP instrumental bombast but in a more original manner than TRIUMVIRAT (it's closer to SFF). While I like the symphonic dual keyboard playing the sounds gets cold and plastic over time. "Weisses Gold" album sounds much warmer but "Reise Zum Mittelpunkt Des Menschen" is more complex, especially the gloomy "Romanze". This track shows band's compositional skills in extended tonality. In spite of the title don't expect any romantic sounds in this one. At the end of the track is also a short but remarkable piano solo. The vocals are used very sparsely on this album in difference with "Weisses Gold". To sum it up: "Reise" and "Weisses Gold" are the only worthwille SCM's albums you should get. Others are not on the same musical level as these two. I prefer "Weisses Gold" but it's a matter of taste. Both albums are recommended!
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Stern Combo Meissen - 1996 - Live

October 31, 2017, 8:40 am
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Stern Combo Meissen 
1996
Live 



01. Finlandia13:53
02. Der Kampf Um Den Südpol9:10
03. Wenn Ich Träume5:29
04. Rhapsody In Blue24:47
05. Happiness Is Just Around The Band10:22

Recorded 16.07.1976 live at Kulturhaus "Fürstenwalder Hof" Fürstenwalde.

- Reinhard Fißler / lead vocals
- Bernd Fiedler / bass
- Norbert Jager / vocals, percussion
- Thomas Kurzhals / keyboards
- Lothar Kramer / keyboards, mellotron
- Martin Schreier / drums



Formed in 1964 in Meissen by drummer Martin Schreier and singer/keyboardist/percussionist Norbert Jager,STERN COMBO MEISSEN are maybe the eldest German classic Prog band still active today.Through a 10-year period they experimented through many styles of music,before establishing a keyboard-drenched sound in mid-70's with the addition of Thomas Kurzhals and Lothar Kramer on keys.By mid-70's the line-up included also singer Reinhard Fißler and drummer Bernd Fiedler.A performance of the band at Furstenwalder Hof in Furstenwalde was captured live in 1976 but never saw the light until 1996, when it was released on Edition Barbarossa.
The opening ''Finnlandia'' is among the best instrumental pieces recorded by a German band during the 70's, an adaption on the work of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.Grandiose organ-driven Classical/Symphonic Rock in the vein of EKSEPTION or TRIUMVIRAT with plenty of keyboard pyrotechnics and a fair dose of ethereal and smoother textures, played with passion and inspiration.In this album we find an early version of the classic psychedelic track ''Kampf um den Suedpol'', that became the band's landmark for years.The short ''Wenn ich traeume'' combines a more easy-going vocal-led style with spacey synthesizers and light organs.The very long ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is an amalgam of Stern Meissen's early sound, based on George Gershwin's eponymous work.It mixes inspirations from synth-drenched Fusion, powerful organ-driven Classical Rock and romantic Teutonic 70's Progressive Rock with some impressive work on synths, organ and piano, but some parts sound rather dull or dated, while the improvised ones are of marginal interest.Still this one is well-played with plenty of bombastic material.The closing track ''Happiness Is Just Around the Band'' is apparently a rework on Brian Auger's ''Happiness Is Just Around The Bend'', a nice, longer and majestic interpetation by the band with strong funky grooves and lovely organ as played by Auger, definitely a great cover.

A great document of Stern Combo Meissen's early years, prooving the band was on par with the best names from West Germany considering the prog scene of the country.Warmly recommended to all fans of keyboard-driven 70's Prog.
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Cătălin Tîrcolea - 1978 - Panpipe in Jazz

October 31, 2017, 10:00 am
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Cătălin Tîrcolea 
1978 
Panpipe in Jazz


01. Nu-ncerca Să Te Minți5:08
02. Fără Vorbe4:40
03. Non Stop3:15
04. Mai Frumos Ca Orice Vis3:22
05. De-or Trece Anii3:32
06. Cîntec De Leagăn3:22
07. Popas3:07
08. Idealuri2:58
09. Doină Și Joc3:18
10. Lacul2:53
11. Zig-Zag3:54

Composed By, Orchestrated By, Conductor – Ramon Tavernier

Soloist, Panpipes – Cătălin Tircolea
Soloist, Voice – Elena Abagiu (tracks: A2, A4, B8, B10)
Vocals – Grupul vocal „5T“ (tracks: A2, A4, A5, B8, B10, B11)


Owing to his merits in scoring, harmonizing, becoming fully acquainted with various styles and mastering them, from the classical to the contemporary light music and to his ability in creating musical "ideas", Ramon Tavernier is fully entitled to the complex definition implied by the designation of Jazz Composer, unlike a lot of other musicians all over the world, who do not truly tally with it, if one is thinking about the true meaning conveyed by that notion.
Nearly ail the Romanian Jazz LPs issued of late are most remarkable as concerns the density of their musical substance — or, in other words, as concerns the lack in them of the "redundancy" phenomenon, as the so-called "backdoor pieces" are fully missing from them. In this connexion, one can easily become aware that the present collection of recorded pieces is marked by extreme diversity, conspicuousness and richness in its sonorous-imagistic sphere.
Although the record comprises various sequences whose rhythmical vitality stands apart, It is wholly pervaded by an intensely lyrical climate, closely related to the Romanian ethos of the Doinas, of the folk Ballads — and all this specific character of the record is pointed out again, owing to the presence of the Panpipe, which is afforded the chief part. Moreover, Ramon Tavernier has got the merit of being the first composer to use the timbre of the Panpipe in the Jazz pieces; Un trifoi cu patru foi (A Four-Leaves Shamrock) and Samba bossanova pentru nai (Samba Bossanova for Panpipe) and other ones, written by the composer more than 10 years ago, i.e. in 1966 for Gheorghe Zamfir to play them (the composer was using then the pen name of Constantin Alexandru) stand as witnesses to that effect. The composer is resuming now, at another level of the musical thought, those experiments, this time the soloist being the young Panpipe player Catalin Tircolea. The Panpipe is accompanied, in Ramon Tavernier's conception, by a rather small band, made up of a "rhythmical section"— i.e. the electric piano or organ, the guitar, the bass-guitar, the drums, the percussion — and of a trumpet, a trombone, a tenor-saxophone (sometimes "doubled" through the "playback" device); in several instances this band is accompanied by the Vocal group* "5 T" (whose members sing without words, according to the so-called "scat" technique) and incidentally a group of strings is added to the band in order to increase the specific ."colour" of a piece, as, e.g. Cintec de leagan (Lullaby). Although the timbre "power" of the band seems rather modest at first sight, its sonorous "resultant" proves itself to be most remarkable as concerns its amplitude, for the few instruments and human voices, assembled according to several ingenious formulas of timbre mixture, are thus able to fill up a rather vast sonorous space.
An attempt at grouping according to a certain criterion or to another the pieces on this record is rather difficult, owing to their before-mentioned diversity, both in "language" and in "character". However, we shall try to classify them according to the criterion (rather formal, of course) of the tempo equivalences — i.e. in "slower" and "faster" pieces. Thus we shall begin by pointing out to the sonorous graphicalness, expressed by means of subtle irisations within various polychromies made up of sundry hues and shades, of several Ballads such as Fara vorbe (Without words), Mai frumos ca orice vis (Fairer than any dream), Cintec de leagan (Lullaby), Idealuri (Ideals), Lacul (The Lake); they rise above the usual stylistic expressive effective sphere of the Jazz, and make the record highly interesting also for other, wider categories of lovers of music.
A fully different group, as concerns the musical expression, would comprise the "virtuosity" pieces. Indeed there is virtuosity of the best kind, both in their composition and in their interpretation, both in the ensemble and in the solo moments; here one might quote: Non-stop, De-or trece anii (Would the years pass), Popas (Halt), Zig-zag.
Again fully different, bordering on the interference zone between Jazz and chamber music, and displayed on an expressive background of genuine Romanian vibration, the piece Doina si joc (Doina and Dance) is thus one of the most accomplished from the whole record. Nu-ncerca sa te minti (Don't try to deceive yourself), is a "remaking" under the Jazz-Rock frame, of a more ancient successful hit of the composer's.
Although the space afforded for these comments do not allow us a more detailed analysis of the interpretation, we ought to point out to the highly important contribution in this respect due to the Panpipe player Catalin Tircolea, who has now become indeed a fully recognized soloist-instrumentist; to the Feminine Vocal Group "5 T", that have indeed suceeded in getting a highly deserving place in our musical landscape; to the other instrumentists, whose solo moments are most valuable in their extempore aspects — Marius Popp, Mihai Chirilov, Nicolae Farcas, Radu Goldis, Dan Mindrila, Sorin Movi-leanu, Adrian Tudorache; they all, directed and conducted by Ramon Tavernier himself, are making up a musical and artistic "team" of the highest cohesion.
Instead of a "conclusion" we shall now come back to the creative essence of the music recorded here, in order to point out to the fact that it has indeed succeeded in outlining a composition "profile" whose conception is full mature and whose inspiration is highly vigorous. At the same time — and this is indeed a most gratifying conclusion — those acquainted with Ramon Tavernier's works are fully aware that he has got still a lot more "to say" in the going on development and display of the Romanian Jazz, in the efforts to compel recognition in general for the real and true valuable music, as this Romanian composer has opened indeed a new "gate" in this respect by using only his own forces as such!
FLORIAN LUNGU
English version by Constantin Stihi-Boos
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Cătălin Tîrcolea - 1981 - Zboruri

October 31, 2017, 10:03 am
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Cătălin Tîrcolea 
1981 
Zboruri


01. Zboruri
02. Speranța
03. Latino
04. De-a Lung Și Joc
05. Pe Cinci
06. Balada
07. Exotica

Recorded between December 28th 1980 and June 6th 1981.

Bass – Iulian Vrabete
Drums, Percussion – Costin Petrescu
Panpipes, Percussion, Flute, Conductor [Formația Orchestrală Condusă De] – Cătălin Tîrcolea
Piano, Electric Piano – Mircea Tiberian
Strings, Synthesizer – Erwin Surin
Tenor Saxophone – Cristian Teodorescu
Trombone – Paul Pîrciu
Trumpet – Leopold Reisenhauer


Born in 1953, Catalin Tircolea began to study the violin at the age of 3 and had his first televised recital at 5 years, in 1958, playing Mozart. He continued to learn the violin at the High School, but gave it up in 1970 in behalf of a Romanian folk music instrument which fascinated him - the Pan-pipe, (Panflote, Flute de Pan) — his idea being to demonstrate its expressive possibilities in the spheres of symphonic, chamber and jazz music. A self-taught what concerns the technique of this instrument, he studied with tenacity, using piano and violin scores. In 1971 he participated at the folklore Festival in Koper (Yugoslavia), obtaining the 1st prize. During the next year, 1972, Catalin Tircolea toured Switzerland and Austria together with Benone Damian's band. Between 1973 and 1975 he had an engagement in Japan, playing a large repertoire : classic, folk, cafe-concert. In 1975 he began composition studies at the Bucharest "Ciprian Porumbescu" Conservatoire (with professors Gheorghe Dumitrescu, $tefan Niculescu, Liviu Rusu), finishing them in 1979 with the highest marks. In the meantime, in 1976, he took part, with his own band, at the Swiss folk music Festivals in Orbe and Lenzburg. Starting with 1978, Catalin Tircolea undertook a rich recording activity : for the Romanian "Electrecord" company, he played the solo part in Ramon Tavernier's LP entitled "Pan-pipe in Jazz", whereas in West Germany he recorded the LP "Fly with me" with the "Supermax" group, and afterwards, with the famous Dutch keyboard virtuoso, Rick van der Lynden the "Variations" album. In 1979, other two LPs, produced also in West Germany, were added to his discography : one of baroque, the other of folk music, both for Pan-pipe and organ. In 1981, again with "Electrecord", a new record followed, with Romanian folk music "hits", and in West Germany, at Dusseldorf, a digital recorded Pan-pipe and organ LP, with a repertoire reaching from musical classicism and romanticism up to impressionism. During the same year 1981, he took part at the Montreux Festival in Switzerland with the "WelI-tempered Pan-pipe", a colour production of the Romanian Television.
"Flights" this new LP, recorded between December 28th 1980 and June 6th 1981 in cooperation with a team of distinguished instrumentalists, selected from the elite of Romanian jazzmen and rock-musicians, especially with another young composer and pianist - Mircea Tiberian —, concentrates through its seven items a great stylistic variety, outlining especially jazz and jazz-rock. At the threshold of his artistic maturity, Catalin Tircolea - soloist of the Romanian "Electrecord" Company - asserts himself as a virtuoso, proving the unexpected technical possibilities of this singular and extremely difficult instrument. His demonstrations as principal soloist and conductor of the group, as well as a composer, are subordinated to an expressive aim: to use the refinement of the sonorous expression, conceived in subtle colour shades, in order to emphasize - in time and space — the fineness and the supreme elegance of the Flight.
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Armand Schaubroeck - 1975 - A Lot Of People Would Like To See Armand Schaubroeck... DEAD

November 1, 2017, 1:03 pm
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Armand Schaubroeck
1975
A Lot Of People Would Like To See Armand Schaubroeck... DEAD




01. Scene 1 Armand (17 Yrs. Old) Confesses His Crimes To A Priest "King Of The Streets"
02. Scene 2 Armand & Dan Go Down To "Rock A Bowl" To Steal Dimes From Bowling Ball Polischers (50's Live Band Plays In Middle) "I Don't Care"
03. Scene 3 Out On Bail, Armand Is Alone With Suzie (Night Before Sentencing) "Love For The Last Time"
04. Scene 4 Elmira Bound
05. Scene 5 Mr. Tomato, The State Public Relations Director Addresses New Inmates
06. Scene 6 Dr. Leiderman, State Psychologist, Interviews New Jacks Privately To Determine When They Will See The Parole Board And To What Institution The Inmates Will Be Sent "Games"
07. Scene 7 Why Do Children Steal? (Armand And Dan's Background)
08. Scene 8 Christmas Eve In Elmira "Cut My Friend Down"
09. Scene 9 Dr. Leiderman Interviews Howard Q. Sappy Who Was Sent Up For Attempt Of Suicide "Streetwalker"
10. Scene 10 A Inmate Reminds Armand Of His Girl "The Young Boy"
11. Scene 11 A Black And White Are Aguing Over A Comic Book Because Each Wants To Look At All The Colors "I Wish To See Color"
12. Scene 12 Mental Breakdown In Solitary Confinement "Fading Out"
13. Scene 13 "We, Like Lost Sheep Are Drifting"
14. Scene 14 New Young Inmate Meets Lifer
15. Scene 15 Stage Break (Taped Live) "God Damn You"
16. Scene 16 Friday Night Radio Plays Old Tune Reminding The Population Of The Streets "Sweet Sister Suzie"
17. "Turn Off The Sound"
18. Scene 17 Visiting Day
19. Scene 18 Night Before Parole Board
20. "One More Day, One More Night"
21. Scene 19 Parole Board
22. Scene 20 Hack Talks To Arm On The Way Out "Ex-Con"
23. Scene 21 Dan & Armand Meet On The Streets While Going To See Parole Officer
24. Scene 22 "Warden's Circus"

Bass – Ron George
Drums – Jay Porter
Drums, Voice Actor – Bruce Schaubroeck
Harmonica, Voice Actor – Jerry Porter
Lead Guitar – Ethan Porter, Norman Tibbles
Voice Actor, Guitar, Lead Vocals – Armand Schaubroeck

All albums are discrete CD-4 Quadraphonic. Compatible with Stereo equipment. Mastered at RCA by JVC Victor Company of Japan, Ltd


Armand Schaubroeck pours his experience over six sides of vinyl on this first release on his own Mirror Records label. The saga of Armand P. Schaubroeck, prisoner #24145, and his partner in crime, Daniel P. McCabe, sentenced as youthful offenders on February 21, 1962, and imprisoned for 18 months in the Elmira Reformatory, a maximum security prison, is equal parts catharsis for the artist, as well as documentary. The cover has a bullet hole in the center of Schaubroeck's forehead while he grins wide-eyed; the photos inside the gate-fold give a glimpse of the horror young Schaubroeck faced in the "reformatory." The tracks are listed as "Scene I,""Scene II,""Scene III," and so on, beginning with the 17-year-old confessing his crimes to a priest, Schaubroeck and McCabe going to the "Rock & Bowl" to steal dimes, his last night with his girlfriend Suzy before sentencing, up to his being delivered to Elmira prison. The soap opera style documentary is broken up with some musical bits, from an Elvis style rave-up to reformulated '60s riffs, which help the stories move along. Though not as refined as his classic Ratfucker album, where the artist takes on a different persona, A Lot of People Would Like to See Armand Schaubroeck...Dead would make a good independent movie and is intriguing. In his confession he claims 32 robberies, which, if true, require no sympathy from the listener -- let's face it -- the guy in his youth seemed to be a menace -- but the documentation of his year and a half behind bars shows the injustice disguised as "rehabilitation." Did the punishment fit the crimes? "Cut My Friend Down,""New Young Inmate Meets Lifer," and "God Damn You" give a unique perspective from the troubled young man, recording not only his experience, but the thoughts and feelings generated by his actions and their consequences. Side six is mostly dialogue, with the song "Ex Con," based on a Bo Diddley riff, deteriorating into a semi-monologue disguised as a conversation with McCabe, "Dan & Armand Meet on Streets While Going to See Parole Officer." If aired in its entirety on radio this album might be a little too much for the average listener. "Warden's Circus" concludes the epic with minimal music, sax, guitar, light drums, and Schaubroeck's distinctive voice. This is an adventurous first set of discs which show originality, but do not beg for repeated listenings. Still, it is a good look into the psyche of a unique individual who had a need to express himself on record.
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Armand Schaubroeck - 1977 - I Came To Visit, But Decided To Stay

November 1, 2017, 1:10 pm
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Armand Schaubroeck
1977
I Came To Visit, But Decided To Stay


01. Father Michael Loves Sister Jennifer4:20
02. Baby, Can't Let You Burn3:25
03. Auld Lang Syne3:26
04. Cry Myself To Sleep2:25
05. Intro To Bells0:23
06. Bells9:11
07. Michael Veni Ad Me1:08
08. I Came To Visit; But Decided To Stay3:23

Accordion, Keyboards – Chris Caswell
Bass – Ron George
Bells – Greg Prevost, Stephen Dee Leonardo
Drums – Jay Porter
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Richard Robinson
Harmonica, Backing Vocals – Jerry Porter
Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals – Ethan Porter
Vocals – Janet
Vocals, Guitar, Written-By, Producer, Arranged By – Armand Schaubroeck


Armand Schaubroeck's second album is a gleefully twisted take on Catholicism, wisely avoiding predictable putdowns of that religion, but on the other hand losing the listener along a conceptual path perhaps too personal, in any case too indistinct, to emerge as a whole. The protagonist (a priest?) sweats outside the door to the convent where his beloved Sister Jennifer, resides. Before too long he's shot and killed Sister Jennifer. But he's still in love with her. Then angels sing. Then, just maybe, Sister Jennifer speaks from heaven. The man definitely decides to pitch a tent over her grave, hence the album title, and more steadfast postmortem devotion since "Long Black Veil" was never intoned. Schaubroeck also sets his gibbering rendition of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Bells" to crackling backing -- and this was 26 years before Lou Reed emerged with The Raven. What the album loses in comprehension it more than compensates for in perverse variations on sainted themes both inside ("Come Softly to Me") and outside ("Auld Lang Syne") classic pop, plus some rip-roaring chops, especially on the harmonica player.
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Armand Schaubroeck - 1978 - Live at the Holiday Inn

November 1, 2017, 1:18 pm
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Armand Schaubroeck 
1978
Live at the Holiday Inn


01. Elmira Bound9:55
02. Ex-Con6:15
03. I Wish To See Color4:50
04. Streetwalker20:30
05. God Damn You9:30
06. King Of The Streets6:19

This 2LP was recorded live at the Holiday Inn, downtown Rochester, New York, 30th, October, 1977 on a 4 track tape recorder.
Songs written 1967, 1968.

Bass – Bernie Heveron, Blaine Schaubroeck
Drums – Jay Porter
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Jack Bearce
Harmonica – Jerry Porter
Keyboards – Brian Ormond
Lead Guitar – Ethan Porter
Percussion, Backing Vocals – Bob Huber
Vocals, Guitar – Armand Schaubroeck


Fake applause comes in as the notorious Armand Schaubroeck's eternally distraught vocal cuts through with the autobiographical "Elmira Bound." The liner notes give the details of his "going away" to the Elmra Reformatory -- "Armand Schaubroeck was sentenced to three years in Elmira Reformatory, a maximum security prison on February 21, 1962 for a safecracking charge." This is great rock & roll with a groove, claimed to be recorded live "at the Holiday Inn, Downtown Rochester New York." With what sounds like canned applause it could very well have been recorded in the back room of Mirror Records at Schaubroeck's House of Guitars in Titus, New York -- -or on-stage at the prison. "Ex-Con" continues the saga with solid guitar playing and rhythmic backing vocals. Schaubroeck rants...and rants...and rants, but his ranting and his expression are more adventurous and interesting than a lot of stuff the major labels were pushing on the public in the late '70s. The album's four sides are strangely on different speeds, one and two are 33 1/3 while sides 3 and 4 are at 45 rpm. Most companies release 15 minutes per side, but with "Streetwalker" clocking in at 20:30, it was appropriate to log Schaubroeck's vision properly and not put part two of this on a separate disc. The added applause really becomes annoying on "King of the Streets," but that's part of Schaubroeck's vision as well. Where Ratfucker is a consistent and focused masterpiece, this -- like a good live performance -- has its own life outside of the studio tracks where some of this material originally found the light of day. "Goddamn You" boasts a terrific rock band, but enough is enough. Nine minutes and thirty seconds of it is a bit much. On second thought, this could have all fit on a single LP, but excess was part of what Armand Schaubroeck was all about at this point in time. It is interesting in its calculation, and the shame of it is that the dude has a lot of talent. What Schaubroeck needed was a record producer who understood him, and perhaps, that is a tall order. Frank Zappa might have been able to make something commercial out of all this. Despite the flaws, Live at the Holiday Inn is more entertaining than you might think.
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Armand Schaubroeck - 1978 - Shakin' Shakin'

November 1, 2017, 1:47 pm
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Armand Schaubroeck 
1978 
Shakin' Shakin'


01. Crazy Baby's Gots Me Shakin', Shakin'6:53
02. We Like Bad Girls, They'r More Fun5:17
03. The Lady's A Traitor3:47
04. Baby! Baby! Please Stay Gone4:37
05. Pretty Baby4:26
06. ?1:34

"All songs written (...) right after they were recorded Dec 29, 77 - Jan 2, '78

Backing Vocals – Bob Huber
Bass – Bernie Heveron
Drums – Jay Porter
Guitar – Ethan Porter, Jerry Porter, Richard Robinson, Steve Heinrich (tracks: 5)
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Jack Bearce
Keyboards, Backing Vocals – Brian Ormond
Vocals – Gena D'Agostino, Jack Bearce (tracks: 5)
Vocals, Guitar – Armand Schaubroeck


All the songs on Shakin' Shakin' were "written by Armand Schaubroeck right after they were recorded December 29, 1977 -- January 2, 1978," or so it says on the back of the vertigo-inducing LP cover, and this unique and highly enjoyable mix of lighthearted pop might as well be Lou Reed fronting the B-52's -- Lou Reed with his tongue not in his cheek. Schaubroeck throws it right in your face, and that's part of his charm, the title track rocking out with enthusiastic pseudo-rockabilly smarts, "We Like Bad Girls They're More Fun" reinventing the Royal Teens' 1958 hit, "Shorts Shorts, as well as copping that tune's melody. "The Lady's a Traitor" descends into the depths of Schaubroeck's classic Ratfucker album, the artist fooling listeners that he would keep things lighthearted on this outing. Side two has one of those hypnotic circles on the label, which is a nice visual to go along with this dementia -- the passionate plea of "Baby! Baby! Stay Gone" ("I ripped up all your pictures/Moved the furniture around/Baby I love you, but please stay gone") is angst without telling listeners why. It's a tremendous statement, and Schaubroeck outdoes cult heroes Roky Erickson and Wild Man Fischer on every level. The smart production and enthusiastic performance give away Schaubroeck's secret; he's clever as a fox. "Pretty Baby," like the song before it, relies heavily on Bernie Heveron's very vocal basslines. The final track, "?," is a bizarre minute and a half of vulgarity that has its own twisted charm. This was the first of three albums Schaubroeck would release in 1978, part of a catalog of limited output for such a highly creative individual. It's too bad there's not a lot more, because this is definitely worth seeking out and enjoying.

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Armand Schaubroeck - 1978 - Ratfucker

November 1, 2017, 1:49 pm
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Armand Schaubroeck 
1978
Ratfucker


01. Ratfucker3:47
02. Gigolo, Gigolo3:14
03. I Love Me, More Than You2:24
04. Buried Alive1:42
05. The Independent Hitter5:05
06. Preteen Mama3:12
07. The Queen Hitter11:40

Gatefold Cover. Originally issud with red guitar plectrum.

Recorded June 1978, Rochester, N.Y..
Dedicated to the late Peter Laughner.
Produced by the whole band, I guess.

Backing Vocals – Bob Huber, Gena D'Agostino, Riley Neilson
Backing Vocals, Guitar – Jack Bearce
Bass – Bernie Heveron
Drums – Jay Porter
Guitar – Ethan Porter
Keyboards – Brian Ormond
Saxophone, Lyricon – Frank M. DiCesare
Songwriter, Vocals – Armand Schaubroeck


The darkest and best of Armand Schaubroeck's onslaught of recordings from the '70s, this descent into the gutter is the underground version of Lou Reed's Street Hassle. Both recordings were released in 1978, and both feature the artist on the cover with sunglasses reflecting a twinkle from the light. Schaubroeck may have been mimicking what Reed put out to the world -- Street Hassle was released in March of 1978, Ratfucker recorded in June and released sometime after -- but regardless of the intentional cop, Schaubroeck sure is persuasive. Street Hassle is Reed once again on the outside looking in; as with Berlin, his narration is detached from the violence he explores. Armand Schaubroeck, on the other hand, is a convicted criminal, so the rat with a knife through its throat on the front cover, dripping blood on Schaubroeck's hand, is totally believable. "Ratfucker," the title track, is the best Lou Reed song Reed never wrote, but there is no doubt this is spawned from the former leader of the Velvet Underground's work. The three minutes and 47 seconds of depravity are perfectly recorded, unlike the Richard Robinson/Lou Reed experiment with "binaural sound." No -- Ratfucker has the sound and the vibe promised by Street Hassle, the unnerving, cold, heartless tale of a man who robs babies and sells them for 4,000 dollars to perspective parents: "Anything you want C.O.D. baby/C.O.D. on my block." The vocal, the intensity of the backing singers, the band, and the production -- everything is first-rate. "Oh sex, I gave it up a long time ago," sings the Ratf*cker. The scat "whaddya want" at the end conflicting with the girl singers, keyboards, and pounding drums is just great dementia. It is a classic track that trumps the master. And the rest of the album is right up there, a pseudo-rockabilly "I Love Me, More Than You,""The Independent Hitter's" driving sound with looping guitars. This album has so many vulgarities the listener becomes numb to the F word, but if ever music can be made to disperse pent-up aggression, this might be it. What rappers would eventually put a beat behind, Armand Schaubroeck rattles off with a worrisome ease. "I doubt if you'll ever hear this record on the radio" is written under the Mirror Records logo, and that may be true, but perhaps radio needs to play an album like Ratfucker. "The Queen Hitter" is an 11-minute-and-40-second epic which vacillates between nicking the James Bond theme and "Zip a Dee Doo Dah," while cleverly avoiding already explored riffs; the album is careful to show a sick creativity. Armand Schaubroeck's voice has a disturbing glee that romps throughout each track with the authority of a hitman. This is truly demented genius and is light years beyond shock. It is a relatively unknown writer/singer coming up with an extraordinary work under his own steam and on his own terms. Classic underground rock & roll that is not for everyone.
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Of Perception - 1991 - So Join Mr. Dreams

November 2, 2017, 11:08 am
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Of Perception 
1991 
So Join Mr. Dreams


01. Spoken Introduction
02. I See You, You See Me
03. Trip To The American Night
04. Twilight Zone
05. Stonehenge
06. Deaths Beautiful Dream
07. Paradise
08. Of Perception
09. One Step Foward
10. So Join Mr. Dreams

Stu (Vocals/Guitar)
Kev (Bass/Drum Programming/Vocals)
Dave (Guitar/Vocals)
Pete (Drums)
Alex A Harvey (Keyboards)
Mike Prior (Piano/Sitar)


Between 1979 and 1984, Deviant (b. Stuart Powell, Enfield, England; vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Jellyfish (b. Kevin Nicholson, Tottenham, London, England; bass, vocals, keyboards) were the mainstay of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band Tooth. After playing in various other groups, the two reunited in 1989 for a jam session with various friends and session men. Within a year they had assembled a stable line-up with ex-Swamp Angels guitarist Dave Williams and former lighting engineer Pete Smith. After a few gigs and two demos they found ex-Neil Christian bass player Arthur Anderson to record/produce and mix an entire album in 24 hours. The resulting So Join Mr Dreams offered a marriage of Doors, Motörhead and Hawkwind influences. It found little favour in the UK but an audience emerged in Europe. Dejected after a tour of Holland fell through at the last moment in 1992, they entered the studio to record a new album with producer Brian Martin. The resultant Lords So Strange R was a much more ambitious project, featuring the debut of female backing vocalist Jazz J. Soon afterwards they broke up, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Absent from the music scene, they attracted a cult following in Spain and Germany, as well as in ‘underground’ magazines around the world. The group re-formed late in 1994 minus Jazz J and Smith, and after initial studio work, were joined by session drummer ‘Chops’.


"Well i changed the name of Reptile House to Of Perception, i was on a big Jim Morrison thing at the time (still am!), paul left and we got Pete Smith from indie band Beef in.

But we had so many influences it was difficult to decide what to do, but me and kev decided to do the lot, from acid house dance with a.a.harvey from tonka sound (and the use of mood enhancing back masking) to punk, metal, ballads and dave's protest song.

So we found a producer who worked with Jimmy Page and went into the studio for a 24 hour non stop session loaded with booze, drugs and shit loads of ideas.

Well we did it and produced an album that got few reviews in the uk and poor sales, but in europe they went mad for us, they got what we were trying to do straight away!"

STU

I absolutely love this album... I got it back when it came out because Renee owner of Any Record in Th Hague shoved it into my face one afternoon and told me I would love it, and to buy it, if I didn't like it I could return it next visit... I loved it and kept it! 20 Years later I lost my complete LP collection (Or actually the brother of a friend robbed me) and one of the albums that I regreed most losing was this one... I searched for it for years to no avail until a couple of days ago a friend I had made a cassette copy of it back in the 90's sent me this copy.
I hope you guys like it as much as I do!
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Soma - 1991 - Epsilon

November 2, 2017, 11:14 am
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Soma 
1991 
Epsilon


01. Bring
02. Ghandarva
03. My Skin (Turns The Colour Of The Sand)
04. Prophecy
05. Inquisitor 4
06. The Conquest Of Albion
07. The Longbarrow
08. Twisting The Folds Of Time
09. Psionics N'om N'om N'om

Recorded at KOH SAN Studios, Bath, June/July '91

Bass [Space] – Trance Cloudy
Drums, Percussion – Philip Legende
Guitar – Steve Kidney
Synthesizer [Moog] – Stephen Lissenden
Vocals – Scott Skinner, Steve Kidney (tracks: 4, 9)


Soma was formed from the Space Rock band Oracle Mind in 1991. The name Soma was taken from the book "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. Soma were a band that didn't live up the hype thrust upon it - that hype something akin to "better than Ozric Tentacles". But as I listen to this album for the first time in two decades, I have to say the album doesn't live up to the promise of the very first sequence of tracks presented here. The near 13 minute "first track", which comprises of Being - Ghandarva - My Skin (Turns the Colour of the Sand), is absolutely phenomenal. Some of the best space rock ever committed to tape, with incredible atmosphere, build up, and finally release. The middle section with the solo riffing guitar blazing out of the Moog tweets is jaw dropping in its execution. But the band couldn't keep up the intensity afterward - and it sort of peters out by the end. And the dullish, quiet mix doesn't help matters any. Seems the band could have benefited from an Ozric like production. Still, as with many of the UK festival psychedelic albums, this one has aged well for me.

Mystic Stones, along with Demi Monde, were one of the original leading lights of the creative underground space rock movement in the late 80's and 90s. Strangely the label never did put out a "monster" album, though they have plenty of really good ones - perhaps Mandragora's Temple Ball being the highlight.
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Soma - 1992 - Dreamtime

November 2, 2017, 11:17 am
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Soma 
1992 
Dreamtime



01. Listen
02. Losin It
03. Dreamtime
04. Suffocating
05. Illusion
06. Pulsar

Scott Skinner / vocals
Steve Kidney / guitar, vocals
Trance Cloudy / bass
Stephen Lissenden / synthesizers
Philip Legende / drums
Sean Filkins / vocals, 12 string guitar
Simon Hannaford / guitars

Recorded at Koh San Studios, Bathford, Bath, Avon, England between 8 and 18 September ´92.


For those of you who remember when Ozric Tentacles broke out big-time in the late 1980's, then you'll probably also recall a host of other bands coming from the UK Festival scene, as well as other astral travelers from the world over. Soma's debut Epsilon was preceded by quite a bit of hype - something akin to "if you love Ozric, then you'll be blown away by Soma". Always a dangerous thing to do, and sure enough Soma's album didn't live up to such a lofty reputation. That's probably no fault of the band, but finger pointing goes to those that were trying to market it to a new, hungry, but discerning audience. However, not living up to an exceedingly high bar is not the same thing as saying the album wasn't any good. Quite to the contrary.

Fast forward to 1995, and Soma's long delayed second album finally gets released (originally recorded in 1992). By the mid 1990s, as mentioned in the Mr. Quimby review, a certain blasé attitude had penetrated the targeted audience. Whether through overexposure, redundancy, or saturation - who knows - but many of us were exhausted of the style. And to top it off, Soma's album was already 3 years in the can, and was now finally being issued by an obscure Italian label with little distribution. I gave it the short shrift back then, tossed it quickly and said "same ol' same ol'" It wasn't fair, but I was still digesting hundreds of new albums in the mid 90s, and only the best of the best were standing out. I recently received a second chance to buy the CD through a used set sale, and I jumped on it.

A revisit has been kind to Dreamtime. In reality, you can hear the band had actually matured, while expanding their sound to incorporate more sophisticated structures. As such, Soma's final album isn't so much a space rock rave-up, but rather a progressive rock album via the Hawkwind lens. Complex meter shifts, and vocal fronted rock music aren't necessarily the common tools of the jamming space rock trade, but are more than welcome to this listener anyway. Too bad Soma didn't really get their chance to shine in the spotlight. I bet a reunion, similar to what Omnia Opera just pulled off, would prove to be quite a revelation.
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Always August - 1986 - Black Pyramid

November 2, 2017, 11:20 am
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Always August 
1986 
Black Pyramid



01. Freedom Flight 5:00
02. Interrogation 3:37
03. Pan's Lament 3:35
04. Swim With Me 6:27
05. Spacin' Out 4:20
06. Oh My Mind 4:34
07. Soweto 3:45
08. Half The Time10:53

Banjo – Bruce Blizzard (tracks: A3)
Bass, Vocals, Shakuhachi, Flute, Percussion – Tim Harding
Drums, Percussion, Xylophone, Vocals – Jeff Douglas
Guitar, Vocals, Kalimba, Percussion – John Kiefer
Guitar, Vocals, Panpipes, Percussion – Lee West
Trumpet – John Mela (tracks: A1, B3)


These guys were something special, it's just to bad no one ever noticed. Great psych rock space trips along the lines of The Meat Puppets at their best, and of course The Grateful Dead. These guys had a horn section as well, but this their debut is the most straight forward of their three recordings.
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Always August - 1980 - Largeness With (W)Holes

November 2, 2017, 11:25 am
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Always August
1980 
Largeness With (W)Holes



01. Mass Man6:30
02. Watton's Bluff4:30
03. Alien-Nation3:20
04. In The Dark4:53
05. Krypto3:05
06. About Time7:20
07. Rahsaan Rollin' Cat4:05
08. It's A Wheel5:01

Tracks 1 to 3 & 5 to 7 recorded at Radioactive Studios, Richmond, VA.
Tracks 4 & 8 recorded on Ground Zero / Iron Dog Mobil Unit at Walton's Bluff, Varina, VA.

Bass – Tim Harding
Congas – Splash Mathews
Drums – Jeff Douglas
Guitar – Lee West
Guitar, Voice – John Kiefer
Saxophone, Bass, Recorder – Tom Wall
Trombone – Brian Zabriskie
Trumpet, Synthesizer, Keyboards, Flugelhorn – Jon Mela
Violin – Steve Gutowski


Aaaaaaaaahhh, the SST label.. The best years of our lives, right ?
Very much underrated mid 80s psych rock. Not too many 80s trappings here, the playing is often quiet loose and free-form...not overly-produced. The opener Mass Man, is probably my least favourite track on the album, it's more pop-funk than the rest...so it only gets better from here, imho. Walton's Bluff is an excellent loose psych jam with violin. Into the Dark, is a very fine track...gives me the feeling of staggering back home from some random nightclub at 3am. About Time, is another fine track. These guys were obviously inspired by 60s West Coast psych, Quicksilver, It's A Beautiful Day et al. But not to such an extent that it prevented them from developing their own style or merely being copycats. There's some horns, and a slight funk undercurrent going on. Normally horn rock is not to my tastes, but they fuse it well with their psychie guitar noodlings, and plenty of  violin. Hopefully these guys will be discovered one day, they're well worth a listen! 
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Always August - 1988 - Geography

November 2, 2017, 11:28 am
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Always August
1988 
Geography


01. Flatland5:04
02. One Straw Revolution4:46
03. Sama Layuca7:53
04. Mesa5:15

Alto Saxophone – Tom Wall
Bass – Tim Harding
Congas, Bongos, Timbales, Vocals – Steve Mathews
Drums – Jeff Douglas
Guitar, Vocals – John Kiefer, Lee West



I am now proud to say I own all three albums by this band, one of the last really good bands on SST. Kickin '70's ??jam rock with jazz and improvisational elements like a true modern day Grateful Dead. This 4 song ep is just fine.
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S.T. Mikael - 1989 - Vissions Of A Trespasser

November 5, 2017, 1:15 pm
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S.T. Mikael 



Mikael Sundtsröm (aka S.T. Mikael) was born in Södertälje, Sweden March the 27th, 1963. His father was a jazz swinging plumber and his mother was an innocent forest girl. He was a lonely, introspective boy who developed a bizarre imagination and an obsession for everything odd, mysterious and supernatural in life. His head was filled with images from Sci/Fi-Fantasy and Horror movies and books, but he also built his own dream worlds with creatures, characters, phantoms and prehistoric images in his drawings, comics and short stories. At 15 he picked up his mothers old guitar and started improvising and recording music. At the age of 19 - in 1982, he tried to find members for a group, but it took him until 1985 when he joined a garage-combo called ”Dickie Dickhead and the Outcast” as a lead guitarist. Although it brought many laughs and good fun into his heart and the fact that they developed from ”the worst and unintentionally most absurd band in town” to a serious and expressive experimental rock band, he left after two struggling years to form his own group. The trio ”The Twilight Souls” , was where he could sing and play his own compositions. He tried to fuse heavy rock and soul music with psychedelic influences which can be heard on the title track of his ”Unknown”-album. During this time he searched for the psychedelic experience and took his first dose of LSD. Because of exhaustion and inability to secure any gigs the band broke up in 1988. After this he gave up the rock´n roll band dream, understanding that there wasn’t anyone in town that had the same psychedelic ambitions as he had. With no expectations for the future he continued working with his ideas and primitive home recordings.In 1989 he moved to Stockholm where he met Stefan Kéry, a psychedelic connoisseur, and gave him a cassette with some of his many recordings. To Mikaels great surprise he found that the tape was received with great enthusiasm and an album was soon made out of that very tape. The album was titled ”Visions Of A Trespasser” and was released early 1990 in an edition of 150 copies only. The album cover featured a colorful, organic vortex with images of beings of the galaxy in it painted by Mikael. Each and every record had differently hand painted labels. The album was mainly distributed among friends. It showed his very personal style of music covering all kinds of musical directions, all laced with the psychedelic sound. Among these ”not-meant-to-be-heard-by-others”-recordings you will find unbelievable sound’s from tea-balls, spoons and boilers. Except for the 3 studio tracks which was recorded together with a friend, he played everything himself - singing through his guitar-amp and using a pitched guitar for a bass.In March 1991 he released his follow-up, ”The Unknown” , an odd home cassette- collection with new old haunting songs. The album was distributed the same way as the first one.After forming Xotic Mind Productions Stefan Kéry let him go into a 8-channal studio and Mikael built up a whole new album all by himself (the only way he knew to work) step-by-step, beginning with the drums and nothing else but except a good memory! The result: ”Claustromania” (meaning: manic obsession for locking oneself in, which derives from the introspective state of mind he always go into while creating!) . The music is filled with pulsating, organic expressions, always emotionally gripping with his soulful voice. The album has a circular concept: The songs about other worlds, man against infinity and the human mind, soul and spirit are linked together with small musical inventions building a story that never ends, ending the way it started, starting the way it ended. The composition also reflects his past life of loneliness and emptiness that now has been replaced by a new existence of love, happiness and possibilities. Mikael says “Claustromania” also is an homage to LSD which helped him make the transformation possible.His creative years had only begun. In 1994 Mikael wrote a book with novellas in the horror-fantasy tradition crammed with drawings done during the last 15 years and drawn, copied and shaped 4 volumes of comic-fanzines - all still available in Swedish only! He acted in a 16mm film and in his own 3 fantasy video films as well as taking acting- and dancing- lessons! During the years he has been invited to participate on other Xotic Mind projects, like playing sitar on Adam Axelzons well-received ”Eura”album and with sitar and Tablas on the ”Gnostic Mass”-LP by The Entheogens, an improvisation-group he joined together with Adam Axelzon, Måns ”Word of Life”Månson and Stefan Kéry, among others.In January 1994, people Xotic Mind released S.T. Mikaels new album ”Psychocosmic Songs” which was even better received than any of his previous LPs. The LP was recorded in a modern, high-tech studio. This time the tracks was a mixture of acoustic and electric singer-songs painted with sitar and tabla jams, heavy fuzz guitar sessions and airy, pulsating sounds done in the same step- by-step method like Claustromania! Although it is serious and soulful in tone, ST Mikael himself says he misses the playfulness and vitality which is more prominent in his home recordings. In the spring of 1994 ST Mikael was living in a rented house with a beautiful garden of fruits, berries and flowers. For the first time he found an immediate presence of self confidence and also a more emotional and limitless way to express himself. In changing direction from somewhat stylish compositions to more improvised-on-the-spot creations he found that the happiness of a live-performance could be caught on a Pot-induced multi tracked solo recording.During 1994 he made a huge collection of organic home recordings, far away from any inexperienced studio-technician, planning to release some of the material as a new album. With the addition of the extended studio track ”Summer In My Life” , which was recorded by an experienced crew and with additional musicians like Adam Axelzon. Xotic Mind released it in 1996 as a double-album - titled Soul Flower. As always - with a homemade painting on the cover. It can be seen as a rock opera without a plot, an invitation to a small living room full of impressions of many far away places.During the years that passed since that album, St Mikael seemed to become more secretive and reclusive, but was still making homemade music. Some of this music, still stretching out in many different musical directions, has been done freely and spontaneously in an extremely relaxed and happy environment, and has been compiled into the home-made double CD, "Mind Evolution", which is not really an official album. Since the turn of the century, Mikael has renewed his lifestyle, has found love in Cheska, an American woman, and has travelled around in Europe, and recently in the USA. He has also taken up studies in English and Play Station 2. Anyhow, he has never stopped doing what he has been doing since a young teenager. He plays in a half-improvising trio together with Cheska, called "Just Beyond", featuring guitar, drums, vocals and bamboo-flute.The projects of the future are also piling up! Among the first: Behind the Veil, a CD-collection with 11 of his best songs from the vinyl albums of the 1990s. Included is a rich booklet with full colour pics of all the album covers and also photos, plus lyrics of the songs. Check out the album cover to this one!In late spring we will see the sensational release of a brand new album on Subliminal Sounds! Ten new songs he recorded in December 2006, has been melted together into a hot CD with Fire as the theme. According to Mikael, he has had a great time recording it with Fredrik Björling as the technician who also plays drums on some of the cuts. Reine Fiske from Dungen also helped ST Mikael with bass!And if that’s not enough! Anyone with the slightest interest in reading fantastic and twisted comics, should check out ST Mikael’s new comic book projects! First out is Daughter of the Full Moon: A 40-pages, pencil-drawn, philosophical horror graphic novel. And then we have the crazy project including 30 books/ adventures, featuring a childhood creation of STMikael’s: Horror detective Klas-Iker! Told with a snappy style and childish imagination, you can see his work involving different stories about monsters, ghosts, aliens, dreams and weird trips later this year on the web at www.oldesoul.com.
S.T. MIKAEL: Claustromania (MS-3-XMLP-1 1991)The latest from underground-scene heavy psych one-man crew of angels & psychedelic flashes. This LP makes your brain start thinking in those pebble splash pond mind circular expanding waveforms that people on this vibe await the returning ship their roots sent out to bring back the password to tomorrow. - Paul Major, Parallel World, USA.Soulful music clothed in flashing psychedelia! His best, the highest ranks! – Länstidningen, Sweden. Features a bunch of atmospheric psychedelic pieces, with phased vocals, melodic mellotron pieces and guitars on a slow burning fuse! Plenty of wig lifting material here...” -Freakbeat, UK
S.T. MIKAEL: Psychocosmic Songs (XMLP-4 MS-4 1994)”A new album by the Swedish multi-instrumentalist ST Mikael...with a hand painted cover and a colorful booklet filled with drawings, comics and a picture story about Evolution on Earth. It’s impossible to compare him and his music with any other group or artist. On this record he plays guitars, sitars, turkish saz, drums, congas, tablas, organ, moog and does all the vocals. Some of the best tracks here is in that new, truly original style he has made his own. He will probably be one of the future-legends of the Psychedelic Music...” -Old Man Willow, Norway”His 4th LP makes new references between the electric and acoustic instruments, which contributes to the new consciousness condensing the moments of insight!” - Rockerilla, Italy
From Subliminal Sounds



S.T. Mikael
1989 
Visions Of A Trespasser


01. The Serpent (8:36)
02. Dagon (4:30)
03. Heading For The Sky (3:51)
04. Microworlds (4:56)
05. Bom Bom Mahadev (4:03)
06. The Soul Searcher (3:57)
07. In The Forest (3:41)
08. Calling The Djinn (6:57)
09. Dreams Of Eternity (6:02)
10. Bytes And Treves (2:18)

- S.T. Mikael / various instruments



S.T. Mikael 
1990 
Unknown


01. UFO (0:55)
02. Peace In My Mind (3:19)
03. The Unknown (6:10)
04. Colours Of Grief (4:28)
05. Black Sunday (6:46)
06. Trespasser (4:43)
07. Distorted landscape (4:45)
08. Shore Of The Senses (8:44)
09. Song For You (Lost Beyond) (5:19)

- S.T. Mikael / various instruments


S.T. Mikael
1991
Claustromania


01. The Prisoner (6:18)
02. The Vault (5:06)
03. Claustromania (6:23)
04. Spirit 1 (5:51)
05. Venus And Beyond (7:44)
06. Before Your Eyes (1:27)
07. Time Caravan (6:09)

- S.T. Mikael / various instruments


S.T. Mikael 
1994 
Psychocosmic Songs


01. The Veil (5:41)
02. 1000 Dreams (8:30)
03. The Psychocosmic Tree (4:34)
04. Mesozoikum (3:47)
05. Visions Of The Dinosaurs (4:53)
06. Eternal Spirit (2:53)
07. Like A Dream (6:22)
08. The Sailor (6:16)
09. Fire Soul (6:16)
10. Like A Dream (reprise) (2:23)
11. Finale (1:48)

- S.T. Mikael / various instruments


S.T. Mikael 
1996 
Soul Flower


01. Back Home (1:10)
02. Godly (10:11)
03. Belly Drumming Soul (1:46)
04. Evening Bossa (4:04)
05. Coffee Break Improvisation (1:52)
06. Beyond The Haze (7:30)
07. Soul Flower (6:31)
08. Worlds Within Worlds (5:42)
09. The Titans (2:12)
10. Sanat Michael (4:51)
11. The Turkish Flower (5:50)
12. Moving.Together. (3:56)
13. I Just Wanted To Say. (8:20)
14. She Came With The Spring (4:59)
15. You Are A Light (A Gypsy In Harlem) (4:16)
16. The Night Stars (19:37)
17. Summer In My Life (7:56)

- S.T. Mikael / various instruments


S.T. Mikael 
2007 
Mind On Fire


01. In My Dream (9:18)
02. Wizdom (7:12)
03. In To Your Mind (5:43)
04. Are You Dreaming Again (8:26)
05. Gyrax (7:43)
06. CD Bonus Intro (2:12)
07. Did You Feel (3:14)
08. Organ Prelude (1:28)
09. Stroll On Stumblin' Street (0:44)
10. Dr. Terrors Chamber Of Horrors (2:57)
11. Music Circus (1:23)
12. The Preacher (4:12)
13. Organ Mission Of Love (3:17)
14. Subwater Journey (3:37)
15. Sinbad Song (7:52)

- S.T. Mikael / various instruments


S.T. Mikael 
2008 
In Harmony


01. Mother Is Calling (8:23)
02. Lay A Bridge (6:18)
03. Soul Power (7:29)
04. Higher (15:25)
05. In Harmony (7:39)
06. Electric Sitar Raga (14:20)
07. Vill Du Följa Med? (3:05)

- ST Mikael / various instruments
- Reine Fiske / bass
- Fredrik Björling / drums, percussion
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Henri Texier - 1976 - Amir

November 6, 2017, 9:34 am
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Henri Texier 
1976 
Amir


01. Amir4:20
02. Le Sage, Le Singe Et Les Petits Enfants7:53
Le Sage
Le Singe
Les Petits Enfants
03. Hommage4:05
04. Le Piroguier4:20
05. Homme Rouge5:21
06. Les Korrigans5:15
07. Quand Tout S'Arrête1:30

Double Bass, Viola, Oud, Flute, Percussion, Piano, Arranged By – Henri Texier

Recorded Nov 75 - Feb 76



The debut album from French jazz double bassist Henri Texier, who has worked with Don Cherry, Bud Powell, Donald Byrd, Chet Baker, and Total Issue, and co-founded the Transatlantik Quartet and European Rhythm Machine. Amir is spare and stark, vibrating and volatile with unrealized possibility, slightly sinister and about to burst at the seams. Long stretches of double bass drone, lyricless vocal chants (Texier’s voice sounds an awful lot like a string instrument), and a few brief forays into free-jazz, moments at which the record threatens to break apart. Texier on double bass, viola, oud, flute, percussion, piano, and vocals. Unsettling dinner-eating music.

This is the debut solo release from French, self taught Jazz Double Bassist Henry Texier, who usually performed as a session player for artists such as Don Cherry, Phil Woods and Bud Powell, however, 'Amir' is something totally different from what these names might usually conjure up for us in our imaginations.
From the moment you drop the needle on this record, you can recognize you are hearing something vastly unique and with its own sense of voice and identity.

The simplicity of the combinations here, capturing perfectly Texier's sublime bass playing and the ethereal multi layered vocal intonations which sound as though they were carried on a desert wind to our ears. Sounds that are as old as time. That is what is so endearing about Texier's music. The space and the environment which he is able to create around the listener. Something agrarian and pastoral. Something untamed and yet deeply equanimous.

These minimal arrangements comprise of Texier's vocal incantations, which are wordless, but rather a series of 'da da da di di da da's ' that follow a counter melody to the steady rhythmic pulses of a bounding bass which dances playfully with an ancient sounding Oud and some sparse hand percussion in the form of a shaker or hand clapping. Occasionally accompanied by an Ocarina, which again gives 'Amir' a sense of primitive and ancient earthiness. 
For lack of a better description, 'Amir' is quite a 'spiritual' and almost 'transcendental' listening experience and for it to be labelled simply "jazz" is almost a crime. This is a mix of new age, minimalism, Avant-Guard, Raga and something completely else. Something without precedence. 

Its a surprise that Texier is not more well known considering all the support credits he has acquired over the years ontop of being made a Chevalier of the l'Ordre National de la Légion d'Honneur in 2001, the highest honor the French government accords to its artists. 

Though not easy to find as it was only pressed a couple of times on a small French label, both this and his follow up solo record 'Varech' which is on par with 'Amir', is well worth your time to explore. 
'Amir' is simply stunning.

Post-bop jazz with heavy drone influence - likely drawn from Indian folk (I'm detecting a lot of Qawwali in these recordings). The title track almost reminds me of Iron and Wine's "On Your Wings" in the insistence of the rhythm and vocals, but "Amir" is more sensual and complex, its guitar solo evoking the aforementioned Eastern influences. As a mood-setter it's first-rate stuff.

"Le sage, le singe, et les petits enfants" sets the stage for the rest of the record, building on the tone of the first song for its first 4+ minutes before breaking down into a free jazz freakout that reassembles into a more traditional bop passage to close out the track. "Hommage" is a solo bass improvisation piece that shows Texier experimenting with the textures of his instrument.

"Le piroguier" has an interesting vocal chant and awesome stand-up bass work from Texier, but doesn't really go anywhere. "Homme rouge" sees Texier switch to electric bass to further display his chops, and the results are akin to something Pink Floyd might've put out around the same time (or perhaps an outtake from Starless and Bible Black); however, to my ears the incantations Texier arranges as vocal melodies undercut the dark atmosphere that the instrumental passages build. Ah, well.

"Les korrigans" is the moment on the record when it really hits you that this might just be some hippy-dippy free-improv bullshit, Texier unleashes a bass solo so accomplished you wonder why he bothers making such atmospheric, drone-y music when he's more than capable of holding his own with Don Cherry and the other free jazz fire-breathers of the era. The moment at the end of the solo when the cello comes in beneath it is truly inspired, leading to a coda that combines those hippy-dippy free-improv bullshit elements with the fire of his bass work and makes you realize, "Oh, there was a plan all along."

The album's actual coda, "Quand tout s'arrete," is sort of a reminder that this whole thing was built on the chanting vocals, which is also why this is getting 3.5 stars instead of 4: I can respect a lot of the work here from both a composition and musician-standpoint, but I don't find myself returning to anything other than maybe the first two tracks very often. There's a lot of great ideas here, but I'm not sure if any of it is worth the trouble of tracking down a copy.
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